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COMING TODAY — WIND TOWER TARIFFS: The Commerce Department today will announce final tariffs in anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into utility-scale wind towers imported from China and Vietnam. Utility-scale wind tower imports from China totaled $222 million and from Vietnam were $79 million in 2011, according to Commerce. Preliminary tariffs announced earlier this year mean that, depending on the company, Chinese firms could face tariffs as high as 99 percent, while Vietnamese manufacturers could see tariffs up to 60 percent. Those figures could be revised up or down today. The tariffs will still have to get final approval from the U.S. International Trade Commission in January or February before being made official.

HAPPY TUESDAY and welcome to Morning Energy, where we can’t believe the big “Homeland” plot twist was that Abu Nazir is really Brody in a wig and glasses. Send your spoilers — and your energy news — to aguillen@politico.com, and follow on Twitter @alexcguillen, @POLITICOPro and @Morning_Energy.

LONG-SERVING INOUYE DEAD AT 88: Sen. Daniel Inouye, a World War II hero, pioneer for the state of Hawaii and the second-longest serving senator in American history, died Monday at the Walter Reed Medical Center after fighting emphysema and respiratory complications. He was 88. Kate Nocera has the obituary: http://politi.co/UFQCMR

— Natural Resources Democrats could find themselves with a vacancy on their hands if Inouye’s preferred replacement, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, is selected to take Inouye’s seat until a special 2014 election. Inouye wrote to Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie yesterday urging him to pick Hanabusa, who was first elected to the House in 2010. Alex Isenstadt has more: http://politi.co/WkLpvO

HOUSE GIVES OK TO PIPELINE BILL: The House last night passed by a 286-10 vote H.R. 4606, outgoing Rep. Denny Rehberg’s bill giving the National Park Service permitting authorization related to a natural gas pipeline that already exists in Montana’s Glacier National Park. A Senate version of the bill (backed by Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester) got a committee hearing earlier this year but has seen no movement since then.

APGA OPPOSES LNG EXPORT PROPOSAL: The American Public Gas Association has filed a motion with the Energy Department opposing an application from the Southern LNG Co. for a proposal to export 500 million cubic feet per day of natural gas from an existing import terminal in Georgia. “Southern LNG's request for authority to export domestic LNG to non-FTA Nations is inconsistent with the public interest and should be denied. The proposed exports from Elba Island, Ga., will increase domestic natural gas prices, burdening households and jeopardizing potential growth in the manufacturing sector, as well as the transition away from more environmentally damaging fossil fuels,” APGA writes: http://bit.ly/WkdG9K

CAP SUGGESTS BLUE RIBBON PANEL TO DESIGN ‘VULNARABLE COMMUNITIES FUND’: President Barack Obama should appoint a blue ribbon panel to design a fund “dedicated solely to providing financial and technical assistance to vulnerable communities hit by extreme weather events,” Dan Weiss and Jackie Weidman of the Center for American Progress write today. “While it is essential that the United States and other nations reduce their industrial carbon pollution from power plants and other major sources, we must also lower communities’ vulnerability to future floods, severe storms, droughts and wildfires,” they write. “Dedicated funding for pre-disaster mitigation will protect lives, shield middle- and lower-income households from the worst impacts of extreme weather, and save taxpayers money over time.” http://bit.ly/UZP4MG

VITTER PRAISES U.K. FRACKING, GUV’NAH: Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is no fan of the British National Health Service, but he does think the Brits are doing something right: fracking. The U.K. last week lifted a ban on hydraulic fracturing, though officials are planning stricter oversight. “As numerous members of your cabinet and administration look to frustrate and perhaps cripple fracking in the United States, I ask that you take a serious look at the decision the U.K. made last week to allow fracking,” Vitter wrote Monday to Obama. “In fact, an analysis of what the unemployment rate in this country would have been over the last four years without fracking is perhaps overdue.” The letter: http://politico.pro/V3L5D4

** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: The safe and responsible development of natural gas supports more than 2.8 million jobs across the country. Curious what the economic benefit is for your state? Find out by using our interactive U.S. map at www.anga.us/map. **

NRC, SAN ONOFRE OFFICIALS MEET: NRC staff will meet with representatives of Southern California Edison today to discuss the utility’s proposal to restart one of the reactors at its San Onofre nuclear plant. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., and will be webcast here: http://video.nrc.gov

— The NRC has also indicated that it could make a decision on the reactor restart plan as early as March, according to the agency Web page devoted to providing information about the plant’s nearly yearlong outage. Proposed schedule: http://1.usa.gov/Q8bEXs

DOE AID RECIPIENT NAMED SOLE PROVIDER OF WHEELCHAIR TRANSIT VANS: Vehicle Production Group LLC, which received a $50 million loan under DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, has been named by the Federal Transit Administration as the go-to maker of wheelchair-accessible minivans for transit agencies that get federal funds, Bloomberg writes. That's a change from a 2010 FTA order that waived "Buy American" requirements because no U.S. firm at the time assembled vehicles from mostly domestic parts. More from Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/Uv4Oc3

ICYMI — EPA IG LOOKING INTO ALTERNATE JACKSON EMAIL: Erica Martinson wrote yesterday about the EPA inspector general launching an investigation into Lisa Jackson’s EPA email account in the name of "Richard Windsor." EPA defended the account in a letter to House Science Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-Texas). “Given the large volume of emails sent to the public account — more than 1.5 million in fiscal year 2012, for instance — the secondary email account is necessary for effective management and communication between the administrator and colleagues,” a practice “commonly employed in both the public and the private sector,” Associate Administrator Arvin Ganeson wrote. Erica has the story (and the letter): http://politi.co/YfhwkQ

OBAMA SAW GASOLINE PRICES AS SECOND TERM THREAT: Shortly after Mitt Romney’s infamous video about the “47 percent” this fall, Obama was “very confident” in his chances for reelection, according to a new e-book from POLITICO’s Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Martin chronicling the final weeks of the 2012 campaign. In fact, the president felt at the time that the biggest threats to a second term wouldn’t involve Romney at all. Instead, it would be Europe’s debt crisis and a potential spike in gasoline prices brought on by a sudden crisis in the Middle East. Buy the e-book here (it’s only $3): http://amzn.to/Ydw2td

CAUCUS NEWS: The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition has picked up as a member Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), ranking member of the Budget Committee.

— A federal judge yesterday wouldn’t hear testimony in a bid to stop construction of the Keystone XL pipeline because of paperwork issues. Bloomberg: http://bit.ly/ZG54Lm

— Billionaire Tom Steyer is more frequently being mentioned as a potential next Energy secretary, The Washington Post’s Al Kamen writes: http://wapo.st/UMsuZK

— Petroleum marketers “have formed a post-Hurricane Sandy task force to study changes that need to be made before the next catastrophic East Coast event occurs,” Platts reports: http://bit.ly/WkhbNn

— “Edison Mission Energy, an unregulated power-generating unit of Edison International, said Monday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection and had agreed on a reorganization plan with its parent company and holders of its $3.7 billion in debt.” LA Times: http://lat.ms/XBY6Sj

— Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and greens have found common ground on a state renewable energy law — sort of. The Washington Post: http://wapo.st/R2lYAe

** A message from America's Natural Gas Alliance: We believe in a clean energy future. Natural gas is a cleaner energy choice and a key partner to solar and wind technologies. From California to Florida, natural gas facilities are working with renewable energy to ensure steady, affordable and cleaner energy choices for communities across our nation. Because it is an abundant and affordable energy source available right here in America, natural gas can help make the promise of cleaner energy a reality in more American communities. Natural gas is smarter power today. Visit anga.us to learn more. **